Our Journey Online - June 7, 2013

Behold Your God

Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news;lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. —-Isaiah 40:9-11

Notice God’s strong arm of might and justice and His shepherd’s arm of care and love. Today’s verses present two sides of the nature of God. Which one are you most familiar with? Most people know either the mighty God of verse 10 or the shepherd God of verse 11. We need to know both. He is the same God.

“Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense(justice) before Him” (v.10). This is the holiness and righteousness of God and His strong arm. The idea is that God comes powerfully to His people, looks at our lives and says, “Get it together!” Are you familiar with that God?

The same God is in verse 11: “He will tend his flock like a shepherd He will gather the lambs. . .in his arms.” This is a great picture of what God does for every one of us. A shepherd’s care is very personal: “He will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”In other words, there are special treatments for special needs. You may have a season of special needs in your life, a time of deeper waters, greater heartaches and heavier concerns. At those times, God sees the situation, and cares for you in an even more particular and personal way.

God’s strong arm that confronts and corrects your life also practices compassion toward you every day. You need to know and love this mighty Shepherd with an ever-increasing, humble understanding of His greatness. Behold your God!

Journal

What part of your life needs God’s mighty arm of intervention?

In what ways do you need God’s compassion today?

Pray

Lord, please teach me to welcome the full range of all You want to be in my life. Help me to respond just as readily to Your strong correcting and shaping actions as I do to your strong comfort and protection. Remind me every day that all You do for me, whether I like it or not, is ultimately for my good. In Jesus’ name, amen.

What if you believed—truly believed with all confidence that God is with you? How would today go for you if you knew without a doubt that God is in control? What would be different in your life if you were sure God is watching and good? What would you risk if you were certain God is victorious?

Just how would believing God’s promises change your life?

Ask the greatest Christian you’ll ever meet if they hold on to God’s promises and they’ll all say yes. Believing that God will do what He promises leads to a great life. The greatest Christian you’ll every meet knows, treasures, and is resting in the promises of God. They cling to these assurances that God gives His people so they can walk by faith while they wait for Him to work.

So what exactly does God promise? In this topical study of what will always be true, Pastor James MacDonald will explore five great and precious promises that God keeps. Enter into this study with anticipation and faith that the God who makes these promises is faithful and true... always true.

Pastor James MacDonald preaches without apology straight from the pages of Scripture, provoking Christians to think and act on their faith. His Bible-teaching ministry, Walk in the Word, launched on as a radio broadcast in 1997, with the mission of "igniting passion in the people of God through the proclamation of truth."

About Dr. James MacDonald

James MacDonald (D. Min., Phoenix Seminary) is the founder and Senior Pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel. He has led the church from the time it began with just 18 people in 1988 to the present, where 13,000 people attend seven campuses in the Chicago area weekly. His practical teaching of God’s Word is broadcast daily around the world on radio and TV through the program Walk in the Word, and more than 160 vertical churches have been planted on four continents under Dr. MacDonald’s leadership. Pastor James has authored several books and Bible studies, including: Act Like Men; Vertical Church; Lord, Change Me; Lord, Change My Attitude; When Life is Hard; Always True; and most recently, The Will of God IS the Word of God. He and his wife Kathy live in the Chicagoland area near their seven beloved grandchildren, and three adult children who serve alongside them in ministry.